Author: David Short

Tobit 4:16

From your bread, give to him who is hungry, and from your clothing, give to the naked. If you have more than you need, do almsgiving, and do not let your eye envy the almsgiving when you do it.

Personal Challenge

We often hear in the Orthodox Church about how important it is to be almsgivers. Often this takes the form of writing a check. Here in Tobit we are reminded that almsgiving also includes engaging with the poor, those who are hungry, those who are naked, and those who are down and out. Sometimes the greatest gift that we can give to a person in need is our time, a listening ear, and most importantly a piece of ourselves. This is truly being the hands and feet of Jesus.

Tobit 1:6

But I alone traveled frequently to Jerusalem for the feast days, as it is written for all of Israel in an everlasting ordinance. I would carry the firstfruits and the tithes of my harvest and the first-shearing.

Personal Challenge

Tobit reminds us that living a life for God is not a convenient life. He wants us to love our neighbor…all of them, all of the time. He wants us to be a beacon that shows His Light…all of the time. He wants us to sacrifice ourselves for Him and others. This can be difficult. But isn’t it wonderful that the more we fall in love with Him, the more we learn to appreciate His love for us, the more willing we are to do the hard things and to do them joyfully? Glory be to God!

Ezra 9:54-55 (1 Esdras LXX)

Then everyone went on their way to eat and drink, to gladden themselves, to give gifts to those who were lacking, and to heartily rejoice. For they were inspired by the words which were taught to them, and they gathered together.

Personal Challenge

So, here is the question, “Am I so inspired by the words of my Lord that I hear and read that I run out rejoicing?” When the disciples on the road to Emmaus had the scriptures revealed to them by our resurrected and living Lord, their hearts burned within them. Does mine during every liturgy? Does mine after every class or study time? Not as it should! The revelation of our Lord is not just for my intellectual edification. It should be burning in my heart and changing my behavior. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Ezra 4:59-60 (1 Esdras LXX)

“The victory and the wisdom are from You, the glory is Yours, and I am Your servant. Blessed are You who granted me wisdom, and I give thanks to You, O Lord of our fathers.”

Personal Challenge

I so often find myself thinking, and therefore, behaving as if I am the one who has accomplished everything in my life and therefore relegating God to a back seat in my journey to theosis. This cannot be farther from the truth. I am nothing without my Lord. I have done nothing and can do nothing without my Lord. He gives me every breath and heartbeat. He is the author of every success and victory in my life. He has provided to me every bit of wisdom and knowledge that I have, even though it is so small compared to what it could be. It is to Him that I owe all thanks, all honor, all praise, and all trust and respect. It is me that should be relegated to the back seat. Maybe then the journey would more quickly and effectively lead me to righteousness. Glory be to God!

Ezra 4:38-40 (Esdras LXX)

“But the truth abides and is strong forever. The truth lives and rules unto ages of ages. There is no partiality or prejudice with the truth, but it does righteous things, distinct from all wrongdoings and evil. All are pleased with its deeds, and there is nothing unjust in its judgment. For strength, dominion, authority, and majesty belong to it unto all ages, and blessed is the God of truth.”

Encouraging Words

In the Orthodox Church, we have a saying, “All truth is God’s truth!” It is interesting how much this passage aligns with Paul’s passage on love in 1 Corinthians 13. God is love and He expects us to live our lives both in His love, but also imparting of His love to our neighbors. If Jesus gave His life for mankind out of love and we are to love our neighbor then shouldn’t we also be willing to give our life for our neighbor. The same goes for truth. If God is truth and He desires us to grow into the image of His Son, then shouldn’t we also be willing to live our lives in His truth and portraying that truth to our neighbors, even if it means our death? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Luke 4:18-19

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Encouraging Words

Jesus ushered into existence a whole new age. His incarnation became the beginning of the kingdom of God amongst us. We do not have to wait for some event in the future for we are living in His new age. And what an age this is. We were poor and He preached the living gospel to us. We were brokenhearted and He healed us. We were captives to sin and death and He set us free. We were blind and He gave us our sight again. We were oppressed and He gave us liberty. What must I do to partake in this kingdom? Believe in Him. Trust in Him. Obey Him by loving Him and my neighbor. Glory be to God!

Luke 4:1

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

Encouraging Words

Why was it so important for Jesus to go off into the wilderness after His baptism? First it fulfilled the prefigurement of Him in the travel of the Jewish nation through the wilderness for forty years. But more importantly, it sets the stage and the example for each one of us who are baptized into Him. After our baptism, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and will spend the remainder of our lives walking through the wilderness of this temporal life on our journey to our promised land. Glory be to God!

Luke 3:21-22

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

Encouraging Words

I will never to be able to be like Christ even though it is my desire, for He is God and I can never achieve that status. However, He chose to become like me and take on the form of humanness, fully and completely. He did not need to be baptized to cleanse Him from any sins because He was sinless. He chose to be baptized so that I, and everyone else like me, could follow Him someday into the waters of baptism that have been blessed by Him forever. He not only paved the way and set the example for me to follow, but He showed me that when I followed Him into baptism that I too had the Holy Spirit descend upon me, and that I too had the Father address me as His beloved son because I was not adopted into His family. Glory be to God!